The Perfect Candidate

Unlike Li Qing, a delinquent who always liked to pay with a gun, Polnareff deeply understood the power of money.

As the saying goes, money makes the world go round.

Given: Ghost = Soul ≈ Substitute.

Therefore, money is more important than a substitute.

In most cases, money-related abilities are more useful than Stand abilities.

This is no joke, after all, most Stand User in this world work for those with money.

The remaining very small number are themselves people with money power.

Polnareff, however, has an even deeper understanding of this:

The key to his and Kakyoin's victory over their enemy, who possessed the "The Hanged Man" ability, was actually just a small gold coin.

Money can play a significant role in crucial moments.

Just like now

"Give them enough money and they'll swallow even the shit in the toilet!"

"You can make a fortune by delivering a bag of ice; no one would refuse such a cushy job."

"Illuso, take a look—"

Polnareff said in a deep voice to Illuso:

"Is that bag of ice and my wallet still on the ground?"

"You should know that the station entrance is just around the corner after crossing the bridge. While you were having your stand-in focus on beating me up, the ice cubes had probably already been delivered to my companions!"

"."

Illuso's face darkened:

Indeed, at some point, the wallet and ice on the ground had disappeared.

Clearly, someone had already picked them up and taken them to the station according to the instructions in the text.

And he was completely unaware and oblivious throughout.

In that case, there would be no point in him killing Polnareff.

Because his mission was to prevent the ice from reaching the station, and to protect his comrades fighting inside the station from any support from the outside.

The ice has now been returned, and Li Qing's companions will soon be able to bring it into the station.

"Prosciutto Pesci"

"Damn it. I actually made such a stupid mistake. I even forgot my own 'mission'!"

The thought that his foolishness might endanger his companions' lives or even jeopardize the entire Assassination Team's hopes threw Illuso into turmoil.

He regretted his carelessness and was filled with self-blame.

This intense sense of self-blame almost consumed him, causing his otherwise healthy body to inexplicably stiffen.

I was so stupid.

Why wasn't it discovered sooner?

If I had discovered it sooner, I might still have made it in time.

Etc.

Illuso's heart sank, but then it jumped up as if he had stepped on a trampoline:

"You bastard—"

"You're fucking kidding me!"

He couldn't help but swear.

It was like having perfectly healthy legs but being tricked into buying a pair of crutches; Illuso was furious and nearly exploded when he realized what had happened.

"They said, 'The ice has already been delivered to the station.'"

"This is utter nonsense designed to distract me!"

"From the moment you caught a glimpse of the metal strip on the hood of the car, to when I realized something was wrong, and now that the matter has come to light, less than half a minute has passed!"

"In that half-minute, the passerby needs to see your message, pick up the ice cube and wallet, and hesitate to make a judgment."

"With so much time wasted, how far can he possibly get now?"

"They probably won't even have time to get off the bridge!"

"If I were to be intimidated and unable to move, thus delaying the pursuit, then I would truly have fallen into your trap!"

Illuso growled as he pointed out the flaw he had spotted.

And he did indeed grasp Polnareff's weakness:

As soon as he said those words, Polnareff's forced composure crumbled.

"I'll kill you later!"

Illuso glared at Polnareff.

He has no time to waste now.

Since the prey has already been trapped in this Mirror World with no way out, it won't cause any trouble if we don't kill him for now.

And so, Illuso gripped the rearview mirror tightly, using it as a "camera" to observe the outside world, and turned to run hurriedly toward the station.

Half a minute ago.

An elderly man with a cane was slowly walking from the bridgehead.

He certainly wouldn't notice that as he slowly walked with his cane to the front of the car, a pair of hopeful eyes gazed intently at him through the mirror.

The old man's appearance gave Polnareff in the Mirror World boundless hope.

At the same time, the old man also noticed the car parked on the bridge.

The car was empty, and there was no sign of the owner nearby.

The hood was raised high, and you could faintly smell the pungent odor of gasoline.

Is this car broken?

The old man thought of it casually.

He didn't pay much attention to it and just planned to walk around the car and continue on his way.

But at that moment, the old man heard a strange rustling sound coming from beside the car—

It sounds like someone is scratching the cement of the bridge with a knife, making a creaking sound that's a bit unpleasant.

The old man curiously looked in the direction of the sound, but the strange and unpleasant sound had already stopped.

However, he unexpectedly saw several lines of writing carved on the ground:

A hefty reward will be offered.

"Please deliver the ice to the train station plaza ahead as soon as possible."

"What's the meaning?"

"Is it some kind of prank?"

The old man frowned, thinking it was just some child's silly joke.

However, before he could turn away, his gaze was drawn to something next to those lines of text:

First, there's a bag of ice.

Then there's a wallet.

The wallet was bulging and round.

Even with its "mouth" tightly closed, its undeniable inner beauty is enough to captivate almost everyone's gaze.

"No way, it's true?"

The old man curiously stretched out his cane and gently lifted the folded wallet with the tip of the cane.

It's like suddenly uncorking a jar of fine wine; the instant the wallet is opened, and those colorful, layered little treasures appear...

The simple old man's breath hitched, and half of his body went limp.

He was almost drunk.

"Oh God!"

"They... they actually have that much money?"

The old man hurriedly squatted down, picked up the wallet, and carefully felt it:

"It's real money, it's real money, no doubt about it!"

He was so excited that he was almost incoherent:

"Is all that money just for the payment for transporting the ice?"

"What exactly is going on?"

The old man couldn't help but feel a little strange, and a sense of vigilance subconsciously arose in his heart.

But he quickly dismissed this caution and vigilance.

Because there is just too much money.

"Maybe it's some kind of variety show being filmed by a TV station. This money is probably just a test prize for random people; they can get it as long as they complete the task, right?"

No one wants to spit out meat that's already in their mouth.

So the old man unconsciously tightened his grip on his wallet, and even found a plausible reason for this strange event.

Then, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the bag of ice on the ground.

Taking money without paying is, to put it bluntly, theft. If someone investigates, he'll have to apologize and return the money immediately.

However, as long as he brings ice as instructed, the money should be considered a reasonable reward.

Moreover, the train station is only a few hundred meters away from here.

He'll definitely make a profit by giving it a try, but if what he said in the comments is true, and he gets double the reward, then he'll definitely make a killing!

After much deliberation, the old man finally made up his mind.

So he put his wallet in his pocket and then squatted down to pick up the ice.

Then, the old man, holding ice in one hand and leaning on a cane in the other, walked with surprising agility despite his half-buried legs.

"Double the reward. And then double it again!"

"Wow, such a good thing really exists in the world!"

The old man was looking forward to this beautiful morning.

But the good times didn't last long.

Not only was it short, but he didn't even have time to cross the bridge before something strange happened:

Suddenly, a mirror shaped like a car rearview mirror appeared floating in the air next to the old man.

The image reflected in the mirror was not that of an old man, but rather the fierce-looking face of a young man.

"Found it, it really didn't go far."

"You old codger, your life has come to an end!"

The man in the mirror said this through gritted teeth.

"Wh-what?"

The old man panicked and tried to run away, leaning on his cane.

"Don't even think about leaving!"

Illuso roared hysterically.

He and the Mirror Man stretched out their arms together, trying their best to grasp the old man's illusory image reflected in the mirror.

Before he could even struggle, the unfortunate old man was dragged into the mirror space by Illuso.

Not only him, but also his cane and the ice pack in his arms were all dragged into the world of the mirror by Illuso.

"Damn it!" Illuso's anger had not yet subsided.

Upon seeing the bag of ice that had almost ended up in the enemy's hands, he became even more furious.

He immediately kicked the obstructive ice pack high into the air, where it flew and landed in the river.

Only then did Illuso finally breathe a sigh of relief from his tension and anger:

"I made the right calculation, and I made a good one."

"Your plan has been completely thwarted, you damn broom-headed braid!"

"Ah!"

A scream rang out from within the mirror space.

This was certainly not Polnareff's desperate wails, but rather the hapless old man's devastating screams after experiencing an incomprehensible supernatural event.

"What's going on? Who are you? Where am I?!"

"What on earth happened?!"

The old man couldn't understand anything in the mirror space; he was just screaming and yelling uncontrollably out of fear.

"So annoying!"

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Illuso's eyes.

He was never a kind person who respected the elderly and cared for the young; in his eyes, these old passersby were just weeds that could be easily removed.

Now, because this old man is so greedy and wants to make money by transporting ice, their Assassination Team's dreams and ambitions are almost ruined.

"Shut up, or I'll kill you!"

Illuso's ears were itching from the old man's noise.

But no matter how angrily he shouted at the old man, the terrified old man refused to stop screaming.

Illuso decided not to waste his breath.

He launched a flying kick, intending to smash the old man's mouth open.

"Stop!"

Polnareff came from the side.

He suddenly leaped out from the side and forcefully blocked the kick for the old man.

"Heh. You dare to come over here on your own initiative?!"

Illuso laughed coldly.

He looked at Polnareff's battered and bruised body and said with disdain:

"With your current frail and unsteady body, you still have the mind to worry about others?"

"Ignore this troublesome old man. Anyway, you'll all be dead soon!"

Illuso's voice was menacing.

But surprisingly, he saw not a trace of fear, not a trace of retreat, not even the most basic solemnity and seriousness in Polnareff's expression.

On the contrary, Polnareff's expression was very calm, even relaxed:

"Isn't it shameless of a strong young man to come and fight with an old man?"

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will protect you."

"Leave this to me, you get out of here quickly."

Polnareff carefully shielded the old man behind him.

The elderly man also sensed the danger and began to unconsciously move away into the distance.

Still trying to be a hero?

"Protect others? Do you even have the right to say that now?!"

Illuso loathed this kind of hero-protecting-the-weak drama.

But his mockery did not dampen Polnareff's fighting spirit at all; on the contrary, it brought out Polnareff's confident smile.

Yes, confidence.

Polnareff suddenly exuded an inexplicable confidence.

This inexplicable quality exudes confidence, elegance, and a sharp edge.

In metaphysical terms, it might be described as—sword intent.

"Do you think I just saw a random passerby and couldn't wait to entrust them with this 'mission'?"

"No, this old man is actually the perfect option."

"Because, if it were him, even if the plan failed like it has now."

"He can also give me a last hope."

As he spoke, Polnareff slowly squatted down.

He picked up a cane from the ground; it was the cane the old man had brought with him when he was dragged into the mirror space.

"I can't lift anything from inside the mirror space."

"But I can freely use anything that comes from the real world."

Polnareff gripped the cane tightly.

With a nimble flick of his wrist, he casually twirled this simple cane, creating a dazzling display of swordplay:

"Illuso, didn't you want to know about my Stand ability?"

"Now--"

Polnareff held his cane upright in front of his chest, assuming a standard swordsmanship starting stance:

"Now I can show you!"